2017 IDN Summit and Reverse Expo Recap

It’s been seven or eight years since I last attended the IDN Summit and Reverse Expo, and I can tell you this is a whole new meeting from what I remember.

John Kelly, Josh Morita, Lisa Ponssa and their entire team did a fantastic job with the 2017 Spring IDN Summit and Reverse Expo in Orlando, Fla. Several tracks at any given time focused on one of the following;

• Clinical Integration
• Financial Performance
• Pharmacy
• Strategic Management
• Supplier Strategies

There was a tremendous amount of valuable content packed into two-and-half days! It’s impossible to detail everything I learned from the presentations given by dozens of great health systems, including;

• Intermountain Healthcare
• UPMC
• Ocshner
• Cleveland Clinic
• Beaumont
• Fairview Health Services
• Mercy
• Trinity

If you couldn’t make it to the IDN Summit and Reverse Expo, here are just a few morsels you missed!

Greg Firestone, VP, Provider Solutions, Roi 
“Texas Purchasing Coalition went live in December 2016. In 65 days, they converted 75% of their spend to our contracts, and we have exceeded their savings goal by 50%.”

Ron Brady VP, Account Management CCG, Premier
“CCG comprises 15% of Premier’s volume, with just seven systems and 200 hospitals. There are four things to consider when evaluating performance groups;

1. Savings. What is the size of the opportunity?
2. Fit. Does our system fit in the organization?
3. Core values. Do our core values align with the group?
4. Can a member operate within the group? 

Michael Louviere, System VP Supply Chain, Ocshner Health System
“Trust is hard work. There are no short cuts. The keys to building trust are data, hard work and honesty.”

Jim Oliver, CEO, Yankee Alliance
“Can suppliers move from a system that requires them selling more SKUs and units, to a system that requires true partnerships?”

Steve Pohlman, Senior Director, Materials Management, Cleveland Clinic
“Our solutions future workflow intent is to accommodate clinical staff working at the top of their licensure. It was imperative to get our nurses out of supply chain and store rooms, and back into the clinical areas.”

So many vital themes to learn from, starting with ROi and its success converting Texas Purchasing Coalition. That could not have been accomplished without a tremendous amount of trust.

Jim Oliver’s plea to suppliers to align their goals with customer needs reminds me of Pete Allen’s request at Federation – align with what your customer needs, and the business will follow.

Every Supply Chain Leader can learn from the Cleveland Clinic’s Steve Pohlman and his demand that all clinicians operate at the top of their licensure. Wow! What kind of efficiencies would our nation’s health systems see if we were operating at the top of our capabilities?

Thanks again to the IDN S&E team! I appreciate your hard work putting together a great meeting that furthered the cause for all of us trying to move the needle in the healthcare supply chain. See you at the Fall IDN Summit and Reverse Expo in Phoenix, Ariz. August 28-30, 2017.